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r/AskHR•5 mo. ago

TheresJustNoMoney

[KS] (But this could happen anywhere) To all interviewers: If you ask candidates whether they've been terminated at anytime in their working history, what were some "winning" answers, or at least answers that kept them in the running of the hiring process?

Recruitment & Talent Acquisition

To all interviewers: If you ask candidates whether they've been terminated at anytime in their working history, what were some "winning" answers, or at least answers that kept them in the running of the hiring process?

I have a feeling that a lot of yes-answers would automatically disqualify them from the hiring process, but what exceptions can you share? If you've hired those who have been terminated at other jobs, how did they explain the circumstances leading to their termination? What are some "winning" answers to "have you been terminated in any previous jobs?"

  

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[–]BumCadillacMHRM, MBA 5 points 5 months ago 

Being terminated does not end the candidate chances for us. To me the best answer is an honest answer. We’ve hired plenty of people who were fired for cause simply because they learned from their mistakes. Be authentic and take responsibility for your actions or lack of, and you aren’t going to be out of the running everywhere. There’s no “winning“ answer here.

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[–]Forward-Cause7305 2 points 5 months ago 

The only time I have been concerned is when they were terminated twice AND the answers on why were a little concerning (made it sound like the person was either lying about why or didn't learn anything from the experience).

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[–]Zestyclose-Part-7375 5 points 5 months ago 

What about if you were terminated for ongoing medical issues? Diagnosed with bipolar 2 several years ago and was terminated while in the hospital for missing too much work. Disorder is well managed these days but totally lost on what to say and what not to say.

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[–]TheresJustNoMoney[S] 2 points 5 months ago 

Then you can at least submit a separate question post about that. Not just here, but also on r/interviews.

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[–]treaquinSPHR 1 point 5 months ago 

Your question is a yes or no question. The explanation or reflection from the experience is where the “win” is. If you have learned nothing, place the blame on others, call everyone incompetent, and particularly if this has happened more than once, that is where it will go south. If you can articulate what you learned (I do best in an environment where we can create collaborative cultures) or (I was going through a difficult spot in my life and I admit I wasn’t as focused as I could have been, but this has resolved and I’m ready to get back in) - are more likely to leave a positive impression.

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[–]PupperPuppet 1 point 5 months ago 

As a hiring manager, the best thing I can hear is the truth. If someone says they've been fired and follows that with info on how they've fixed the problem that caused it, I don't read too much into it. Unless of course I get a strong enough feeling they're feeding me bullshit.

And honesty has worked for me. I've only been asked once if I'd been fired before. My answer was "I have, and it still amazes me to this day that it took them as long as it did to get around to it." I was young and stupid enough to think the work schedule was more of a suggestion than a requirement. Been as punctual as a German train ever since.

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[–][deleted] 1 point 5 months ago* 

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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